Canadian officials talked trade in Mexico this week as U.S. mused openly about scrapping CUSMA for solo deals<\/p>\n
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Published Feb 19, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 3 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n As Canadian officials put a full-court press on in Mexico this week, the Americans were talking openly about scrapping the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement<\/a> for bilateral deals.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.<\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authors<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n One deal with Mexico, where talks with the Americans are already underway, and one deal with Canada, perhaps, if we get around to it.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Whether it\u2019s his true view or a negotiating tactic, U.S. President Donald Trump has made a habit of saying he doesn\u2019t need to renew CUSMA and could walk away from it.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no real advantage to it \u2014 it\u2019s irrelevant to me. Canada would love it. Canada wants it. They need it,\u201d Trump said last month during a tour of a Ford plant in Michigan.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s adviser sees no reason for three-country deal<\/p>\n In a story on the very real and growing possibility that Trump could scrap CUSMA for separate deals with Mexico and Canada, his top trade representative said don\u2019t be surprised if it happens. During an interview with the New York Times, Jamieson Greer, Trump\u2019s U.S. trade representative and chief negotiator, said there is no \u201cnatural reason\u201d for CUSMA to be one deal instead of breaking it up.<\/p>\n Your Midday Sun<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cThe president\u2019s been quite clear,\u201d Greer told the Times<\/a>. \u201cHe\u2019s half inclined to leave. So we\u2019ll see how that goes.\u201d<\/p>\n For reasons that aren\u2019t quite clear, the Mark Carney government is intent on keeping CUSMA as a trilateral deal, even though Canada does comparatively little trade with Mexico. Currently, Canada takes in more than three times the value of goods from Mexico than we export to them.<\/p>\n Canada\u2019s exports to Mexico minuscule<\/p>\n Canada\u2019s exports to Mexico in 2024 amounted to $6.1 billion compared to $34.5 billion worth of imports. We import almost six times more from Mexico than we export to them and our annual exports to Mexico equal about five days of exports to the United States.<\/p>\n Still, our charm offensive in Mexico this week was bigger than anything we\u2019ve seen in Washington over the last year. A group of 370 government officials, business leaders and lobbyists went to Mexico for a six-day mission to push for more trade and make the case for a renewed trilateral CUSMA.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cI am reassured by the Mexican economy secretary \u2026 his desire to work with Canada and to ensure that the review of CUSMA results in a strengthened and ongoing trilateral trade arrangement,\u201d Dominic LeBlanc, Carney\u2019s point man on trade, said at a news conference.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Mexicans have very similar interests to Canada.<\/p>\n \u201cWe both remain absolutely committed to the trilateral free-trade agreement and working together as this review process unfolds.\u201d<\/p>\n RECOMMENDED VIDEO We apologize, but this video has failed to load.<\/p>\n Play VideoMexico already negotiating with Americans<\/p>\n That\u2019s an interesting take considering that Mexico has been negotiating their part of the deal with the Americans since January and at the beginning of this month signed an agreement with the U.S. on critical minerals<\/a>. Given Canada\u2019s critical minerals supply, this is the type of deal Canada could have sought, but domestic politics mean it\u2019s better for the Liberals to be fighting with Trump than trying to win him over.<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Despite the U.S. export market being worth 68 times the American market, there hasn\u2019t been a trade mission to Washington that comes close to matching the size and scale of what we saw in Mexico this week.<\/p>\n Perhaps that\u2019s due to polling and Carney putting the Liberal party above Canada\u2019s economic interests.<\/p>\n Carney clearly keeping eye on polling<\/p>\n Carney is leaning into findings like the Politico poll that found 58% of Canadians view the U.S. as an unreliable ally<\/a>. That same poll showed that Canadians viewed the U.S. as a greater threat to world peace than China or even Russia, despite Russia being involved in an ongoing war with Ukraine.<\/p>\n Abacus Data has found that only about half of Canadians think it would be a bad thing if CUSMA came to an end<\/a>. Financially and economically, ending CUSMA would cause tremendous damage, but politically it could be popular.<\/p>\n And so while Trump muses about ending CUSMA, Carney and the Liberals in Ottawa are moving in that direction with the nodding approval of a great many Canadians driven by emotion rather than logic.<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n LILLEY: Mark Carney bets big on defence, trade fantasy Canada can\u2019t afford<\/p>\n![\"Internal](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2261537766-e1771547117468.jpg\")
Internal Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc, top left, and Mexico’s Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard, top right, applaud after the signing of a memorandum of understanding during a meeting with Canadian business leaders in Mexico City on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. Photo by YURI CORTEZ \/AFP via Getty ImagesArticle content<\/p>\n![\"Toronto](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.6.2\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-tsun.svg\"){kind=logo}
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